Three of our senior pupils, Emily-Jane Bloomfield (clarinet), Poppy Clarke (flute) and Elisha Gallagher (flute) recently had the wonderful opportunity of performing to a packed auditorium at the Millennium Forum in L’Derry, on Wednesday 22nd March. The EA Senior Youth Orchestra for the Western Region has been back up and running this year but was hosting its first concert back at the Millennium Forum since pre-Covid in 2019.
The Derry Junior Strings Orchestra, Derry Intermediate Strings Orchestra and Derry Wind Band all performed on the night, with the finale from the Senior Youth Orchestra who represent young musicians from across the whole Western Region. Emily-Jane, Poppy and Elisha, who have all achieved Grade 8 standard in their respective instruments, have previously auditioned to join the orchestra and attend rehearsals at Strabane Academy on Saturdays throughout the year. At the concert they performed ‘Symphonic Highlights from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ by Hans Zimmer and ‘A Salute to the Big Bands’ arranged by Calvin Custer, featuring 1930s and 1940s classic melodies such as ‘April in Paris’, ‘Pennsylvania 6-5000’ and ‘Sing sing sing’. All in all, it was a most enjoyable concert and a memorable experience for our pupils.
(A. Bloomfield)
